Early documents from Palmerston Island and their implications for the origins of Palmerston English

Tiny Palmerston island, located in the Cook islands, was settled in the early 1860s by the Englishman William Marsters, his three Cook Islander wives Akakaingaro (also known as Sarah), Tepou and Matavia, and a small group of others. At the time, the Cook Islands were known as the Hervey Island group, named after the largest island, now called Rarotonga. From the early 1820s, missionaries sent by the London Missionary Society (LMS) were present on the larger islands of the group. No central administration existed until the late 19th century, but each island was divided into districts that were ruled by a hierarchy of chiefs (ariki) and subchiefs (mataiapo). In 1888, the island group became a British protectorate and, in 1901, administration was transferred to New Zealand. Today, the Cook Islands are self-governing, in ‘free association’ with New Zealand